The Red Sox announced Monday that they have summoned Triple-A Worcester prospect Jeter Downs and appointed right-back James Norwood for the assignment.
It will be the debut of the Major League for Downs whenever he goes out on the field for a game. Acquired alongside Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong in the trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, Downs was once again widely ranked among the top 100 prospects in the sport, but has seen its stock fall after ‘a couple of poor results in Triple-A. In 53 games so far with the WooSox, the 23-year-old Downs is hitting just .180 / .297 / .397 with a 31.1% innings rate on 222 appearances on the plate. In fact, this represents a modest improvement over his struggles in a larger show during the 2021. Campaign. In total, he has now added 627 appearances to the Triple-A plate with just a .187 / .281 / bar. 355 to prove it.
Despite these struggles, Downs will get his first major league appearance and give the Sox some depth on the field at a time when both Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernández are on the injured list. Major league teams carrying 14 pitchers also have to reduce their pitching staff to 13 as of today, and Downs was already on the 40-man roster, making it an easy-to-remember name. They will need a seat of 40 people once Arroyo is allowed to return from the list of Covid-related injuries, however, designating Norwood and briefly giving Downs a taste of the Majors is a sensible route, though probably short term. at the moment.
Norwood, acquired by the Phillies for cash over the weekend, never appeared in a game with the Sox before what is now his third DFA in three months. The 28-year-old spent most of his spring training with the Padres, but was designated for the end-of-camp assignment and was later traded to Philadelphia by minor league field player Kervin Pichardo. Norwood showed great speed, a ability to lose bats and an ability to keep the ball in the park during his 17 innings and 1/3 with the Phils. However, he also walked with too many batsmen, struggled to run aground runners (both inherited and those who made it to the base), and generally produced too much hard contact.
In those 17 1/3 innings with Philly, Norwood was marked with an effectiveness of 8.31, which increased his career mark through 44 1/3 innings to 5.48. Without a doubt, Norwood’s fast ball and 96.8 mph average splitter, which includes an odor rate of 42.7%, will make you see other equipment, either through exemptions or another small trade. However, he has no minor league options, so any interested club will have to take him to the 40-man roster. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Norwood, try to pass him by exemptions, or release him.